


Batman: Double Trouble

by TowerofBabel



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Jason and Kent face off against Two-Face, Multi, Other, Two-Face blows up the Batboat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:48:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27741769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TowerofBabel/pseuds/TowerofBabel
Summary: Jason Todd and Jon Kent travel to a villain's stronghold called "Treasure Island" in the Batboat to rescue Damian from the clutches of Jake Handles, a sadistic man who was the true architect behind the assassination attempt against Nightwing; Dick Grayson. (He actually hired KGBeast to shoot Nightwing). For protection, Handles has hired Harvey Two-Face as his main enforcer. With powerful weapons at his disposal, Two-Face launches an all-out attack on the rescuers from the shoreline and he won't relent until this "dynamic duo" is eliminated.
Kudos: 5





	Batman: Double Trouble

It was close to eleven o'clock at night and the Batboat raced over choppy waters through complete darkness, the only light came from its headlights. It hit a wave and soared into the air, then landed with a heavy thud, which caused both passengers to leave their seats for a moment and then come crashing back down.

Jon protested the rough ride and Jason apologized, but speed was a factor he claimed. The navigational systems were leading them on a direct path to _Treasure Island_ , according to Tim's vectors, and so far, they hadn't experienced any more then the typical rough waters normally seen in these parts. There was no supernatural happenings or mysterious weather phenomenon.

Despite the time, Jon Kent wasn't tired at all. When they first started out, knowing it would take a while to reach the island, Jason thought it prudent for Jon to take a little catnap before they reached further out to sea. The kid had refused, and was now sitting shotgun, more excited than before they started out—especially with all the sugary drinks he drank found in the fridge left by Alfred.

Age meant nothing sometimes, Jason thought. Jon Kent had seen a lot in his young years, he was only twelve, even younger than Damian. Jason was just as young when he began his crime fighting career as Robin. But the one thing he hoped for was that Jon Kent didn't experience what he had to endure like at the hands of the Joker.

To pass the time before they got to this point, Jason had switched on the TV to Gotham News. None of it was good news. Every headline talked about Scarecrow's Fear Germ and how it was plaguing Gotham; there had been four suicides in the last week. From eye witness reports, the victims screamed in horror or cried out in despair before they either jumped to their deaths from buildings, bridges, or, in one case: suicide by gun in the mouth. It was staring to become an epidemic. So far, fifteen deaths could be attributed to the Scarecrow's newest psychotropic attack on the people of Gotham.

Jon Kent scrolled through media feed on his smart phone. Jason saw this out of the corner of his eye and he couldn't believe the boy was that much in tune with world events, kids this age should be playing with their friends, watching the latest anime's—for which Jason had a guilty pleasure for; some of them were actually pretty good for cartoons—and sharing funny memes. But for Jon Kent, the son of Superman, that kind of innocence had already been lost.

The Batboat was on autopilot at the moment, their designation locked in. Jason would place it back on manual when they got closer just in case there were any surprises: The Devil's Triangle—or Bermuda Triangle, by another name—was also host to the Kingdom of Atlantis, where Auqaman resided. It was also disputed territorial waters for some of Atlantis's enemies, but sonar was clear.

Jason enjoyed an espresso as he watched the darkness outside the blast shield, Jon was quiet, so he enjoyed the solitude.

"Scarecrow's an evil man," Jon suddenly voiced, after watching a short video news segment with earbuds. "Is there anything that can be done to stop him?"

"Tim's on the case," Jason said. "In fact…" He reached into a bag that he had placed between the seats and checked his phone with its cracked screen. This time it was fully charged. He checked his messages, scrolled with a thumb, and there was several from Tim regarding his recent visit to Arkham Asylum. "Dangerous; foolish…" He said, as if scolding Tim directly, after reading the messages. "Tim went to Arkham alone and spoke to Dr. Hugo Strange about a possible cure for the Fear Germ," he told Jon.

"My Dad told me about him once. He's a psychopath. Did Tim get a cure?"

Jason said no. But Tim hoped to implement a plan to devise one knowing Strange would never shrink at an implied challenge.

It was another hour before they got within sight of the island on the radar. Jon had had just crashed asleep less than forty-five minutes prior despite his burst of energy before, and Jason let the kid sleep and wake him later, knowing he'd probably face some action when they got to their destination. He had dressed into his Red Hood gear in the meantime.

Fifteen minutes later, he shook Jon. "Wake up, kid, we're almost there. Time for this _dynamic duo_ to get ready."

Jon woke with a yawn and soon became fully awoke when the island came into full view. According to Tim's information: it was a man made island, but unsanctioned. But with Spyral's influence, certain authorities had turned a blind eye to it, and allowed it exist. Jason figured they were bribed. It was in the Atlantic Ocean and was not disputed waters, so someone knew it was here.

Jon got ready in his Superboy gear, while Jason manually moored to a normal looking wooden dock connected to the rocky shoreline that went a long way up on the beach with sizeable boulders, that Jason knew, would make the perfect place for an enemy ambush. So many places to hide. And with its open shores, there was probably surveillance equipment everywhere. It was very dark as Jason looked out the blast shields, he decided to come in dark, so their presence was not seen. But the stillness made him nervous. This dock was obviously for aesthetics and there was probably a secret way into the inner island, which wasn't all that large-one-quarter the size of Manhattan Island.

What sort of reception would they get once they were detected?

Just then, he got his answer, as flood lights erupted with and illuminating blinding force, and a lone figure stood on a cliff's edge, his features silhouetted by the light casting his body in darkness. But Jason saw that he held two powerful hand guns. The figure pointed and he fired at them with a consistent barrage at the blast shield with armour piercing bullets.

"Get down!" Jason shouted, and with an instinctive protection of a parent, he leapt on top and smothered Jon with his body, as the continuous concussion of heavy gunfire hit the boat's blast shields and shattered its glass with maximum force.

" _Come on out, Batman!…The verdict is in!…It's time for you to die!_ " the person said, followed by a deep chuckle with more gun fire.

It was the atypical assumption by a member of Batman's Rogue Gallery, but nine-out-of-ten, it was Batman that was charging in to the rescue, hence the name drop. Obviously, however, the figure was mistaken, unbeknownst that Batman was not in the Batboat.

But the voice Jason recognized was distinctive and was unmistakably all too familiar.

It was Harvey Two-Face.

* * *

Harvey Two-Face was a sadistic bastard. So, when he continued to fire at the Batboat with extreme prejudice, Jason worried for Jon Kent's safety. Jason had jumped back to smother Jon when the shooting had begun and after the Batboat's blast boat shield shattered. The seats were made of kevlar, which was what cops's vests were made of to stop bullets, so they gave some protection. Except when your enemy used armour piercing bullets. So, all bets were off.

"Stay down, kid! Harvey Two-Face is relentless." Jason continued to protect Jon Kent. But something was odd, Jon wasn't afraid. He then pushed Jason off him. "Hey! What are you doing?" Then it struck him. It had been instinct to protect Jon, then Jason suddenly realized—this was Superboy. "Oh, yeah, right… Go get him, kid!"

Jon Kent got to his feet and removed his civilian clothes, and emerged as Superboy, in costume, even his ripped jeans and cape.

He stepped out into the open despite the erupting gunfire. Being the son of Superman, the Man of Steel, had its advantages. He was bulletproof and Harvey Two-Face's armour piercing bullets had no affect on Jon Kent. With glass and debris crushed underfoot, Jon then floated up through what used to be the front blast shield and landed on the front of the Batboat, a small breeze whipped his cape and hair, as he stood firm against his enemy with a look of sheer determination.

Harvey Two-Face ceased fire, but his high-powered hand guns remained locked on sight. The villain stood on a large rock on the shore that was the beginning of a series of boulders jettisoning from the island interior, illuminated with flood lights.

"Well, this is unexpected. Was Batman too busy that he had to send children?" Harvey Two-Face chuckled.

Harvey Two-Face smiled regardless of the surprise. The left half of his face that had been scorched by acid had a permanent like grotesque grin that exposed his teeth which has been permanently bleached white. Also on the left side: his hair, forever tussled, was an exhibition of just how unhinged the villain really was, contrasting the right side of his posh appearance. And being the man he was, he always wore a suit and tie. On this occasion, the right side was white and the left was a deep orange.

Jon Kent put his hands on his hips. Despite the man's appearance, Jon wasn't afraid of Harvey Two-Face, bullets couldn't hurt him, even armoured piercing. Cocking his head, he asked: "How do you clean that thing?"  
The smile dropped from Harvey's face. "What _thing_?"

"That thing…your face," Jon said pointing. "I know what happened to you, it was a tragic situation. Acid can be nasty. Looking after a wound like that must be taxing. You much spend a lot of money on antiseptic and moisturizing creams."

Harvey gave him a strange look, almost of disbelief. "Are you for real? I'm pointing two guns at you and you ask me about my face?"

"Face it, Harvey…" a somewhat muffled voice said, "the kid's a humanitarian. He actually cares about people and their lives. Even scumbags like you." Red Hood emerged from the inside of the Batboat and came to stand behind but slightly to the left of Superboy with guns in hand. He thanked Jon for giving him the time he needed to get his proper gear on, including helmet and bulletproof vest: a vest that stopped armour piercing bullets.

Harvey Two-Face aimed his guns two-fold. Although Superboy was immune to weapons fire, it still offered a little intimidate factor. "You never cease to amazing me, Red Hood. Here I was expecting Batman, but all I got was your ass instead."

"Sorry to disappoint."

"Batman really did reach the bottom of the barrel this time, although I am willing to overlook his cowardice with our history. Nothing better than finishing a job, just like ending a really difficult court case. I killed your pop, he was foot soldier for the man who did this to my face. I think it's time to send sonny boy to join dear old dad."

"One problem with that, Harvey," said Red Hood. "Don't you need to decide with a flip of your special coin, your old man's coin? Oh c'mon, we both know you do. You suffer from OCD. You can't make a move without it. And with you holding guns in both hands, you'll stuck." Jason laughed.

"You know, you're absolutely right…"

For a moment, Harvey Two-Face appeared to freeze on the spot. It almost looked like when a computer screen crashed, remaining such about three-seconds, for say, the flip of a coin. Then Harvey blinked. "Quite right, Red Hood. I really don't have a choice in the matter," the villain said smug. "Sad as it may be, it is my Achilles Heel, and all your batboys know of it. But it's not an issue _here_."

If Jon could see Jason Todd's face, he would probably share his sentiments of confusion.

Harvey Two-Face eyed Jon Kent, then focused back on Red Hood. "You always did like to hide," he said, directly speaking to Red Hood. "Either it was behind Batman as that prick-annoying little sidekick or even behind that menacing looking helmet you wear now. You batboys hide while we, like myself, show our faces. Now you need this kid to protect you. How pathetic!"

"First: We 'batboys' wear masks, so you villains don't hunt down our loved ones and use them as pawns for leverage. It's called a secret identity for a reason. And second: I don't hide behind anyone!"

Red Hood took a step forward and out and out from behind of Jon Kent. Jon quickly pivoted in front of Red Hood, actually protecting him more now than before like a shield, extending a hand out to stop Todd. "Stop, Red Hood," he said seriously. "He's baiting you on. I know his type, his psychology, I've done a lot of study on the subject for my school classes. From what I know of Harvey Two-Face, this is his very nature as a former District Attorney. He twists human emotions to get what he wants."

Harvey eyed Jon for a moment. "Smart kid; exactly," he said. "To your credit, you're smarter than this _Neanderthal._ "

"Neanderthals were actually quite intelligent in their day," Jon retorted. "In Red Hood's case, he'd smarter than the average bear." He gave Red Hood a crooked smile.

"And I thought Nightwing was the one who made the corny jokes," Jason said back. "Anyway, this bear has teeth, Harvey. And it looks like we have our own Mexican Standoff. So, how do you wish to precede? Go down in a blaze of glory, or—"

Harvey Two-Face chuckled, which gave Jason pause. "You were never very smart, Red Hood. You always think like a brute, with your guns, never seeing the whole picture, beyond your narrow scope. I'm surprised you're not dead already."

Red Hood's story was known to the Rogues and that the Joker had murdered the Second Robin, but when Jason Todd, Red Hood, came back from the dead, he was not the same person, and often fought Batman on many issues. There were rumours that Jason Todd was not the Red Hood and that the vigilante was indeed someone else entirely. But Jason never shied from his past and did what Batman would not: eliminate the scum off the streets. Most recently, he almost ended the Penguin.

But it was true Jason Todd was not the person he used to be when he was the Second Robin. He was stronger now.

"You, above anyone, known people deserve a second chance, and I got mine," Red Hood said back.

"Not when they're guilty," Harvey spat back. "Your past is mysterious, filled with conjecture and hearsay. But that's not how I work. I prefer evidence to make a sound decision."

Red Hood laughed. "And yet you flip a coin to make even the simplest move," he said. "You're such a hypocrite, Harvey. And don't you dare blame your issues on mental illness. Most people know the difference between right and wrong."

Harvey growled angrily. "I won't get into a theological debate with you, it's all scam-mantics. But it's a great excuse for less prison time." He laughed.

"Doesn't he mean semantics?" Jon voiced to Jason.

"No kid, he knows what he's saying," Jason replied. "A lot people are not mentally ill when they commit hideous crimes, they know exactly what they're doing, but claim they were possessed by the spirit of 'mental illness' at the time."

"As a former DA for the Gotham City courts, I could run circles around your argument, but as I said before: time's up, the verdict is in. And it's time for you to die! A Mexican Standoff? Ha! I prefer a third option…"

Jason observed Harvey remove his fingers from the triggers from his guns, then the villain cocked his arms sideways, and in an unorthodox move, he tossed his firearms into the air, well above his head. Jason followed their trajectory, and suddenly Harvey Two-Face vanished into thin air. But the guns remained.

"Where'd Harvey Two-Face go?" Jon gasped. " _Oh, no…_ "

It was then that Jason realized what had just happened. Harvey Two-Face had been, what Jon had explained to him earlier while they were in the Batboat, new tech: a photo-kinetic hard-light projection, a copy of the original. A projection unit must be near-by.

But that wasn't what concerned him at the moment. "Jon! Get down!" he shouted.

It all happened in slow motion for Jason, has he instinctively reached out and tried to shield Jon from what happened next.

The moment the pair of guns hit the ground, both went off with enough C4 to level a twelve story building. The concussion blast struck both of them equally, but with different devastating effects.

Jason was throw into the water, while Jon was launched into the interior of the Batboat.

* * *

When Jon Kent slammed into the back of the interior of Batboat, he hit with such an impact after the explosion that it rendered him temporarily unconscious, but only a for few moments. He was the son of Superman, but his human side still left him susceptible to injury. He was also the son of Lois Lane, a human female. She was a strong woman, but not infallible.

He shook off the shock and looked around, the Batboat was in ruins from the impact, and water was starting to seep in from the broken haul. But that was not what concerned him at the moment. His main thought was: Where is Jason?

The concussion blast had sent Jon into the Batboat, and therefore, it should've done the same with Jason. But Jason had jumped towards him at the last second in a futile attempt to shield him from the explosion, so if he wasn't here, then he must be in the water.

Pounding a hole through the haul, he then dived in and began to swim through the water. When he saw Jason floating limp and immobile, he submerged further, grabbed his arm, and then pulled him to the surface and to shore. He swam into a hidden alcove and away from sight.

Removing Jason's helmet, Jon patted Jason's face to awaken him thinking the shock must've knocked him out. When that didn't work, he then checked for breathing. His helmet may have protected him from the blast, but not from sucking in water. With a careful series of up and down thrusts to Jason's chest, similar to CPR, Jason then spit out water, and coughed.

"Jason, it's okay," Jon said. "We're safe for the moment."

Jason coughed. "What the hell happened?" Jon told him about the explosive blast from Harvey Two-Face's guns. Jason nodded, remembering. "It must've been some of Jake Handles' photo-kinetic hard-light crap you told me about."

"But the explosives in the guns were real," Jon added. "I think we can be assured Harvey Two-Face is in league with Handles. You can duplicate a person's appearance with PKT, photo-kinetic tech, but you can't copy their brain patterns and personality."

"I'm not up-to-date on the latest technology of that sort, so I'm going to have to take your word for it," Jason replied.

"What now?"

"We stick to the original plan."

"But we don't even know Damian is here?"

"Whether he's here or not, Handles needs to he taken out. Whatever his game plan is, psychopaths always have an endgame."

**Author's Note:**

> From my Batman Novel: Nightwing Junior (Chapters 17/21/22)


End file.
